


Omega

by allthetrek



Series: A Stranding, A Crash Landing [6]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 18:27:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19156522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthetrek/pseuds/allthetrek
Summary: Captain Pike and the reader get stranded on a Class L planet. With no guarantee of rescue, they must adapt to life together in their new environment. Eventually, formalities and professional boundaries fall away, leaving room for a more personal connection to flourish.





	Omega

You glance over at Christopher as the two of you make your way across the sun-scorched plains of the planet that’s become your new home over the past several weeks. Wavelengths of sunlight cascade over his salt-and-pepper hair, which has grown a bit longer since the crash landing. His face has the beginnings of a beard, making him appear gruffer and more serious than the man you’ve been getting to know.

With only each other as company, you’ve spent days and nights swapping stories of your childhoods, Academy days, and interplanetary adventures. Every time you describe Earth or your friends and family, Christopher has noticed the sadness in your eyes, a sadness he knows is rooted in the possibility you may never see them again. In these moments, his compassionate nature shines through, and his dimpled smile and words of comfort have kept you going. Kept your hope alive. Kept you feeling safe and secure, as you wait patiently for your distress beacon to be answered.

Though, part of you secretly does not want to be rescued. Not just yet. This time with Christopher has reignited something in you, something you never thought you would feel again. Certainly not for your Captain. Yet, here you are, unable to help but look at him in as he trudges along beside you, your ally, your friend, and your heart twinges with attraction as he catches your gaze and smiles warmly at you. That smile… Those dimples… Those blue eyes twinkling with mystery and mischief in the sunlight. It warms you more than the rays of a thousand suns.

Yet, this moment is much more lighthearted than the situation you find yourselves in. Your mission today is serious. For the past week, Christopher has been watching the deuterium reserves dwindle, and you couldn’t help but notice how worried he was getting. Finally, he had no choice but to open up to you about the classified details of your mission. The reason the containment module in your cargo hold needs to stay active. For what is inside, could devastate space as you know it for lightyears around.

“The omega particle. The most powerful substance in existence, as far as we know. Also, the most unstable,” Christopher had told you, after you’d been sworn to secrecy. “It exists in nature, but is incredibly rare. Synthesis of the particle has been prohibited. But, because so few people know of its existence, sometimes they don’t know what they’ve encountered. What they’ve created.” The look in Christopher’s eyes told you all you needed to know. People had died from this, and over this. And would continue to. That’s where Starfleet comes in.

“So, what happens if the containment module fails?” you’d asked, your voice low and serious. You weren’t sure if you wanted to know the destructive power of this particle. You weren’t sure if you wanted to know any of this, at all. Knowledge of the omega particle was restricted to top-level command in Starfleet only. Christopher could face serious repercussions for divulging too much to you. But, if the two of you didn’t find a way to keep the molecule contained, it wouldn’t matter. Nothing would matter, at that point…

“Omega destroys subspace. Destabilization would disrupt subspace throughout the quadrant. Warp travel would become impossible. Every space-faring race would be crippled. Back to square one.” Not an acceptable outcome.

So, here you are, searching the planet for anything you can use to keep the module powered. With no deuterium supply, or way to transmute other substances to deuterium, it’s imperative that you find another solution.

The mid-morning sun beats down on your both, and you continue through the plains into a canyon of rock spires. Your tricorder pings as you scan it across the base of one spire. Tendrils of a blue-gray, metallic substance creep up from the base of the spire, winding their way up and around the formation like vines. You study the readings on your device, and Christopher stops and studies your face. He knows you’ve thought of something. He can read you now; all of this time together paying off. He can’t deny that he’s enjoyed this time with you, and the thought of uncovering more about you, more layers, more depth… No time for that now, though.

“What is it, [Y/N]?” he queries, his brow furrowing to match yours as you concentrate.

“Ah, it’s just… It’s di-buridium. I’ve never seen it occur naturally. Some races use it as a… Power source.” You glance up from your tricorder, making contact with Chris’ intense gaze, a glimmer of hope sparking between the two of you.

“A power source… And, do you think you could modify the ship’s power grid to use di-buridium?” Christopher asks you, his voice steady but the emotion in his eyes conveys how badly he needs this to work. The fate of the entire Federation (and both of your lives) depends on this.

“I… Um… Yes. I think… Maybe?” you reply, the pressure of the situation further dawning on you, and you swallow the lump in your throat. Please, please let this work!

Christopher uses the extraction supplies you brought to coax out an ample supply of the substance from the rock formation. Soon, you’re back at the ship, and the two of you work together to calculate power flow differentials and modify the couplings to accept the alternative power source. It’s a tricky process, since you can’t cut power from the containment module for more than a few seconds at a time. Finally, after an entire afternoon of finicky, high-stakes modifications, you’re ready to transfer power to the modified grid.

You both look down at the transfer button on the control screen in front of you. You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves. You’ve never felt so much pressure in your life. So much at stake. What if you made a mistake? You guess you won’t be around much longer to know, if you did.

Christopher can see the toll this situation is taking on you. He hates that he’s had to share his burden with you, as he’d hoped that you’d have been rescued well before now and it would never have been a problem. That’s not how things turned out, though. Still, it’s not your burden to bear. Nor is it solely his now…

“Together, then,” Christopher says softly, his eyes tracing over your exhausted, yet appealing features, as if taking you in one last time. Though he hopes this won’t be the last… His index finger meets yours on the button, and the two of you press it, together…

The system clicks and hums at the transfer, and… Nothing bad happens. Containment readings show full power, and diagnostics indicate everything is running impeccably. A warp engineer couldn’t have done a better job.

“We did it!” you state, surprised by your own statement, in awe that the two of you now have an indefinite power supply, and that you successfully aborted a disaster of astronomical proportions.

“You did it, [Y/N],” Chris states, turning to you, his hands coming to your shoulders, resting on them as he holds you in place, his gaze burning affectionately into yours. He’s never looked at you quite like this before. You like it, though. A lot. You beam back at him, your warm smile giving him further courage. He’s been meaning to tell you how he feels for a while now. The thought of something happening, and not having told you… It’s just reaffirmed to him that he needs to be honest with you.

“[Y/N]… You are the most brilliant, beautiful officer I’ve ever met. What I mean is… I…” he struggles to convey in words how he feels, but you are touched by his words, and it’s everything you’ve been secretly hoping for. You look him in his striking blue orbs, your hands coming to the outside of his arms, squeezing gently as your fingers rest on his biceps.

“Are you ever going to kiss me?” you ask him, smiling knowingly and stepping closer to him, closing to space between you slightly. He looks surprised, but that soon passes and is replaced by a dimpled half-grin. His fingertips come to your cheek, and he cups your face, his eyes looking down at your full, inviting lips, as he thinks about what is about to transpire.

Then, his lips are on yours, pressing passionately into you as he kisses you for the first time. You reciprocate, leaning into his kiss, tasting him at last, feeling his tongue trace along your lower lip, and savoring the feeling of his stubble prickling into your soft skin. It feels heavenly. You’re so glad you’ll be sticking around for more of this.


End file.
